Drapes or curtains generally referred to as "Roman shades" are well known in the art. All such prior art shades are constructed so that when they are raised, they gather from below in generally horizontal folds or pleats until the entire shade resides near the top of the window. The shades are operated by pulling on various lines which are used in conjunction with guides attached to the shade. Examples of such prior art shades are shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 1,752,610; 3,322,182; 3,439,725; 3,487,875; 3,777,800; and 4,069,857. Relevant prior art structures are also disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 1,066,269; 1,212,270; 1,321,800; 1,407,248; 1,482,978; 2,667,218; 3,256,931; 3,376,599; 3,443,860; and 3,487,875.
Most prior art Roman shades are formed either of a flexible material such as a fabric or of a plurality of panels, and are provided with a plurality of horizontal folds at points vertically spaced from one another to form the pleats when the shade is raised. Vertically extending lines pass upwardly through loops at the top of the shade and then downwardly through loops attached to the backside of the shade. These lines are then secured to the shade at points near the lower edge thereof. Typically, a Roman shade includes two or more lines spaced horizontally across the width of the shade. These lines are gathered together at their free ends to be grasped by the user for raising or lowering the shade. The loops are aligned horizontally along each fold and vertically in columns associated with the lines.
In many Roman shades, when they are raised, the pleats are disposed one behind the other between a front pleat and the window so that only the front pleat is visible from the room. In other Roman shades when raised, the pleats disposed behind the front-most pleat are visible, but the pleats form unevenly and with poor definition. Often the vertical spacing between the bottom of each pleat and the pleat immediately behind it is poorly defined. The result is a shade which is not aesthetically pleasing to many persons who prefer a cascaded appearance.
Previously, several methods have been used to produce a cascaded or pleated appearance in Roman shades. However, each of these prior art methods has a number of disadvantages. In one prior art method, the distance between each successive fold is increased from top to bottom so that the bottom of each fold is visible behind the fold in front of it when the shade is raised. However, this arrangement results in an aesthetically displeasing appearance when the shade is lowered, because the crease marks which form along the folds in the fabric are spaced at increasingly greater distances along the shade moving from top to bottom. In another prior art method, flaps are permanently sewn into the shade fabric or added to it, and these flaps are provided with successively increasing lengths to produce something similar to a cascaded effect. This type of shade looks unsightly when the shade is lowered, and is substantially more expensive to manufacture because of the addition of the flaps.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an economical Roman shade which gathers when raised to provide a pleasing, cascading effect.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a Roman shade which is cascaded when raised and which is aesthetically pleasing when raised or lowered.